Current Band Members: Robert Trujillo

The position of bass player with Metallica has been held by four different musicians over the years and the current bassist Robert Trujillo joined the band in 2003. Trujillo built up a reputation as a great bassist with various bands and he has an array of playing techniques. He was officially announced as the new Metallica bassist on the 24th of February 2003 and reportedly received a $1 million advance on the percentage he would earn by being in the band.

The first bassist for Metallica was James Hetfield’s childhood friend Ron McGovney but he was soon replaced by Cliff Burton. Burton favoured a plucking style as Trujillo does and was responsible for some epic bass solos making an important contribution to the first three Metallica albums before he was tragically killed in a bus crash in 1986. Jason Newsted took over the position with his almost exclusively pickstyle and he struggled for acceptance as the other band members relentlessly hazed him even turning down his bass track on ..And Justice For All. He proved himself a talented musician but the tension entirely lifted and after some public arguments about solo projects and down time he left Metallica in 2001.

Metallica didnâ??t hold auditions for a replacement until early 2003 after the St. Anger album which featured producer Bob Rock on the bass. Over three months they auditioned loads of bassists including Pepper Keenan, Scott Reeder, Eric Avery, Danny Lohner, Chris Wyse and Jeordie White. Some of the auditions appeared in the documentary Some Kind of Monster. The band eventually settled on Robert Trujillo as the perfect fit.

Trujillo was born in 1964 and he grew up around Venice Beach combining a love of rock with surfing. He played with a number of local bands before joining Suicidal Tendencies in 1989. In the 1990â??s he formed Infectious Grooves with his band mate Mike Muir moving in a funk direction and then he joined up with Ozzy Osbourne playing in his band for a number of years. After he joined Metallica his predecessor Newsted replaced him in Ozzyâ??s band for the 2003 Ozzfest tour.

Metallicaâ??s most recent album, Death Magnetic, is the first to feature Robert Trujillo on bass and it has gone down well with critics and fans alike, hailed as a return to form for the band. Trujillo has apparently slotted in easily and made an instant impact. He seems to be a laidback character with a professional approach and no shortage of skill.

It was apparently Kirk who championed Trujillo as the right replacement. He already knew the band and toured with them while playing for Suicidal Tendencies. He quickly learned a couple of songs for the two day audition but with 22 years of music to catch up on it took him a while to get the full Metallica back catalogue down. In an interview Trujillo described the experience as â??intenseâ? and his first gig with the band was at San Quentin State Penitentiary where Metallica were filming a video for St. Anger. He has spoken of his respect for Burton and Newsted and while he doesnâ??t intend to emulate either he has committed to giving the band everything heâ??s got.